body scanners in European airports
 

My plans were to visit Europe again in October, but it has come to my
attention that the use of those body scanners has become common since
the attempted bombing of that flight to Detroit last Christmas 2009.
My last flight was prior to that.

So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who
said that they had the scanners and their use was required, and
furthermore that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

This sounds incredible but it is plausible. Can anyone confirm this at
your local big airport? My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But that
is all.

--
Dan Stephenson
http://web.mac.com/stepheda
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

body scanners in European airports
 

On 8/8/2011 5:56 PM, Dan Stephenson wrote:
My plans were to visit Europe again in October, but it has come to my
attention that the use of those body scanners has become common since
the attempted bombing of that flight to Detroit last Christmas 2009. My
last flight was prior to that.

So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who
said that they had the scanners and their use was required, and
furthermore that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

This sounds incredible but it is plausible. Can anyone confirm this at
your local big airport? My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But that is
all.

I know they have those scanners at Heathrow, but I haven't yet been
subjected to them. My last Heathrow trip was just a few days ago.

body scanners in European airports
 

On Mon, 8 Aug 2011 16:56:10 -0500, Dan Stephenson
wrote:

My plans were to visit Europe again in October, but it has come to my
attention that the use of those body scanners has become common since
the attempted bombing of that flight to Detroit last Christmas 2009.
My last flight was prior to that.

So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who
said that they had the scanners and their use was required, and
furthermore that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

This sounds incredible but it is plausible. Can anyone confirm this at
your local big airport? My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But that
is all.


I can't speak about all of Europe, but I flew out of Athens a couple
of months ago. I didn't go through a body scanner.

But if I had had to, I wouldn't have worried a whole lot about it.

--
Ken Blake

body scanners in European airports
 

On 2011-08-08 17:11:11 -0500, S Viemeister said:

On 8/8/2011 5:56 PM, Dan Stephenson wrote:
My plans were to visit Europe again in October, but it has come to my
attention that the use of those body scanners has become common since
the attempted bombing of that flight to Detroit last Christmas 2009. My
last flight was prior to that.

So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who
said that they had the scanners and their use was required, and
furthermore that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

This sounds incredible but it is plausible. Can anyone confirm this at
your local big airport? My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But that is
all.

I know they have those scanners at Heathrow, but I haven't yet been
subjected to them. My last Heathrow trip was just a few days ago.

Right. Could you tell how they selected who should get scanned? I've
read that if you refuse the scan, there is no pat-down option.

--
Dan Stephenson
http://web.mac.com/stepheda
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

body scanners in European airports
 

On 2011-08-08 19:23:58 -0500, Ken Blake said:

I can't speak about all of Europe, but I flew out of Athens a couple
of months ago. I didn't go through a body scanner.

I should phone back. Perhaps they thought I mean the metal detector.

Did you see body scanners there, and if so, could you tell how they
selected people to use them?

--
Dan Stephenson
http://web.mac.com/stepheda
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)

body scanners in European airports
 

"Dan Stephenson" wrote in message
news:2011080816561034299-stephedanospam@maccom...
My plans were to visit Europe again in October, but it has come to my
attention that the use of those body scanners has become common since the
attempted bombing of that flight to Detroit last Christmas 2009. My last
flight was prior to that.

So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who said
that they had the scanners and their use was required, and furthermore
that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

This sounds incredible but it is plausible. Can anyone confirm this at
your local big airport? My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But that is
all.

--
Dan Stephenson
http://web.mac.com/stepheda
Travel pages for Europe and the U.S.A. (and New Zealand too)


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...d-flights.html

But bear in mind that the Daily Mail loves to make a drama and a crisis out
of everything.

body scanners in European airports
 

Dan Stephenson wrote:
So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who
said that they had the scanners and their use was required, and
furthermore that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

A field test with voluntary checks of some 793000 passengers using
"naked scanners" in Hamburg, Germany, has just ended. The result, though
not officially reported yet, seems to be simply that the devices are
still expensive crap, at least those by L3.

The first software version showed the persons sort of naked, which is
not acceptable and was other than promised by L3. Next software version
showed only a symbol, but the alarms were anything but helpful. Too much
wardrobe, even long boots: Alarm. Passenger slightly moving: Alarm.
Two out of three scanned passengers had to be checked by hand, half of
those more than once (and nothing found, of course). L3 was not able to
deliver better software.

So, for the time being, no body scanners in Germany.

body scanners in European airports
 

On 08/08/2011 11:56 PM, Dan Stephenson wrote:
My plans were to visit Europe again in October, but it has come to my
attention that the use of those body scanners has become common since
the attempted bombing of that flight to Detroit last Christmas 2009. My
last flight was prior to that.

So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who
said that they had the scanners and their use was required, and
furthermore that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

This sounds incredible but it is plausible. Can anyone confirm this at
your local big airport? My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But that is
all.



There was something in the news here the other day about the scanners on
trial at Hamburg airport proving to be useless - much too slow, and with
a 35% to 70% false alarm rate, depending on which press story you
believe - ah, just found some references:
http://www.whec.com/news/stories/s2225742.shtml?cat=566

or google bodyscanner+false+alarms

It appears that the German authorities have decided to discontinue their
use, at least of the make of scanner they tested, so hopefully the
taxpayers will get their money back for these expensive piles of useless
junk.

body scanners in European airports
 

On Mon, 8 Aug 2011 16:56:10 -0500, Dan Stephenson
wrote:
This sounds incredible but it is plausible. Can anyone confirm
this at
your local big airport? My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But
that
is all.

For what it's worth I have yet to see one of those scanners. This
year I've flown out of Munich, Copenhagen, Billund and Rome (can't
remember the name).

body scanners in European airports
 

Dan Stephenson wrote:

My plans were to visit Europe again in October, but it has come to my
attention that the use of those body scanners has become common since
the attempted bombing of that flight to Detroit last Christmas 2009.
My last flight was prior to that.

So I called the Athens airport and spoke to their security people who
said that they had the scanners and their use was required, and
furthermore that this was to be found in the other airports in Europe.

This sounds incredible but it is plausible.

They are being rolled out in European airports just as they are at US
aiports. It will be quite a while before they are everywhere, if ever.

Can anyone confirm this at
your local big airport?

They are used at Manchester, my local. I forget if every terminal uses
them.

My googling only turned up EU regular that
"permitted" the scanners and a lot of talk of health issues. But that
is all.

There is nothing to worry about IMO.

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)